Page 149 of Lady Killer

“I believe she’s only fucking Alister and Everest.”

“I see. And did Lucian instruct this, Luz, to kill the Croft man?”

I ignored the dryness in my mouth. “He did not.”

“Is she fucking my grandson in exchange for her life?”

“Ah, no, sir.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed marginally.

“They are quite enamored with her,” I said.

“And how would that factor into the decision to let her live?”

I was walking a dangerous line here. “Lucian is indulging them, and she’s helping to identify the killer.”

He arched a brow at me. “What possible expertise could a freshman scholarship student bring?”

“We believe there is a connection to her past.” One that Lucian had declined to share with me in detail. It was pointless to ask the rest of them. Even Nixon was increasingly in her thrall.

“If she’s who this Virgin Sacrifice Killer wants, why haven’t we just given her to him?”

“The killer communicates exclusively with her, using a new burner phone each time. They cannot be connected directly.”

“Locke,” he said, his voice sounding weary, which made me all the more nervous. “Why is this girl still alive?”

“Lucian gave her his word that if she identified the killer by the end of the semester, he would let her live.”

My grandfather closed his eyes, and when he opened them to look at me from under his hooded brow, I steeled myself against whatever came next.

“If you were head of the Blackwells, Locke, would the girl still be alive?”

My tongue felt foreign, but I couldn’t back down now. “No.”

Something flickered in his expression, and the energy between us shifted. “I’m concerned that your cousin is losing his head when it comes to the family business.”

There it was.

“I’d like you to take a more active role, reporting directly back to me.”

Technically, the family business had been handed over to Lucian. Victor was retired. But then, one never stopped being a Blackwell.

“Of course, sir.”

“The girl is a problem.”

“Would you like me to get rid of her?”

Victor stared me down with eyes so dark they were nearly black.

I couldn’t admit to what answer I was hoping for.

“Use her to find the killer by any means necessary.”

“Understood.”

He sat back in his chair, relaxed now. “That settles it then. You’ll begin reporting to me directly on the situation at home, including your cousins’ behavior.”

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